The Fight Over Section 230 -- And the Internet As We Know It

For years, the very business models of platforms like Facebook and YouTube have come under fire for prioritizing whatever grabbed their users’ attention, often leading to feeds full of content that shocks or stokes outrage or divides. And Section 230 of the 1996 Communications Decency Act has enabled those business models, by shielding companies from responsibility for their users’ behavior at its most extreme. But in terms of solutions, Section 230 still might not be the right lever to pull. When Congress returns from recess in Sept, all signs point to lawmakers taking up the Section 230 debate where they left off. But gutting Section 230 could have other unintended effects, some experts fear. As distasteful as many parts of the web may be, they say, policing speech that is, after all, protected by the First Amendment could blow up in lawmakers’ faces.